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Houston solo practitioner Lucy Forbes was shocked at the very positive reaction she got from some Facebook posts about her quarantine cooking.

She was whipping up recipes to comfort herself but felt that sharing them on social media was giving her friends a welcome break from the dire coronavirus news.

"To my mind, food is what we use to bond," said Forbes, who practices appellate law. "We use it for comfort, to celebrate happiness, to mourn, or when you are scared. Food is something that brings us all together."

Weeks after stay-home orders forced many attorneys to work from home, lawyers are coming up with creative ways to pass the time. They're using their ingenuity to find solutions and see clients while remaining safe, and using technology to stay connected to their colleagues and lawyer-friends. These strategies are key to easing the extra stress and anxiety that the coronavirus has brought.

Forbes recalls watching her own mother, an amazing cook, whip up family traditional recipes, like tabbouleh and stuffed grape leaves. Now she's recreating some of those dishes while her own daughter observes. The 13-year-old even pitches in at times.

"This is priceless time with my family," said Forbes, who said that the world has slowed down, giving her time to notice the small blessings in life.

'The greatest antidote'

Taking the time to recognize those little blessings can have a major impact on an attorney's attitude, said Chris Ritter, director of the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program.

"Gratitude is the greatest antidote to negative thinking," Ritter said. "Just thinking of three things you are grateful for in a day — in one study, it showed happiness increased as much as 25% in three weeks."

Related story: Attorney Wellness: Create a Gratitude Practice This Thanksgiving

Like Forbes' cooking hobby, unplugging from the computer and phone, doing something physical, or getting out into nature, can get lawyers out of their heads where they're stuck in a loop and ruminating about stressful things, he said.

"Learn to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. It means learn to turn off your anxiety," Ritter said. "Take a pause and go for a walk around the block, or meditate for a few minutes. It has to be something physical, which includes breathing exercises."

From the porch

Like Forbes, many attorneys can do their work at home with no hitch. But some areas of the law have things that can only happen in-person. For these lawyers, creativity comes out to get the job done while staying safe.

Before the coronavirus hit Texas, Austin attorney Carolyn Ostrom had sent a set of clients a copy of their will, but they had not visited her office to sign it. When the government began recommending safety measures, Ostrom became anxious for her elderly clients, who are in their 80s.

The founder of Collins Ostrom came up with a plan to comply with Texas law, which requires each will to have an in-person signature, two witnesses and a notary.

At the clients' home, Ostrom and her husband stood on the porch. A neighbor stood a good distance away by the front door. The two clients stayed inside, sitting at a table by a window. Ostrom was able to pass their will through the window, and the two witnesses watched as they signed the will. Finally, it was notarized.

'Calling to check on you'

Ostrom noted that her law office is in a house, and it's the only business there, which means it's safe for her to go to work each day. But the other lawyers and staff there are working from home.

"I miss the camaraderie of being in the office. They are all people I really like," she said, adding that she hasn't yet found a way to keep up those feelings of closeness.

Biologically, it's important to maintain human interaction, Ritter said. Studies show that seeing each other and having eye contact has a big impact.

"We highly encourage people right now to write a list of people they haven't spoken to, and take the unusual step of not just calling, but FaceTiming," Ritter said. "Psychologically, it gives us relief. It releases endorphins, and it helps us to stay healthy."

Video conferences have brought an unexpected benefit for David Gonzalez, partner in Sumpter & Gonzalez in Austin.

"What has really been neat for everyone is you are in other people's homes and lives. I think it's good: For as much as our profession can sometimes be really cruel to one another," Gonzalez said, "We are all in this together. That's been very, very nice."

The response from attorneys has been heartwarming, Gonzalez said.

"I've had random phone calls from lawyers, out of the blue, saying, 'I'm only calling to check on you,' " he said. " That's been great. It's a phenomenal community."